> the Netherlands

It's completely flat and the obvious reason why everyone cycles. Nothing to do with mindset, like you're somehow superior to the rest of EU.

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david-gpu 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Bicycles have had gears for almost a century, and they allow to tackle hilly areas easily. Also, the Netherlands is notoriously windy, and a headwind is just as difficult as a hill.

No, what makes the Netherlands different is their street design prioritizing safety rather than speed at all costs. When the streets feel safe from speeding drivers, more people choose to ride a bike.

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stef25 2 days ago | parent [-]

> Bicycles have had gears for almost a century, and they allow to tackle hilly areas easily.

Assuming everyone but you is retarded.

	▲	david-gpu a day ago \| parent [-]
		Not at all. I simply suspect that you are uninformed about why cycling is popular in the Netherlands. In the 60s the Netherlands was just as flat as it is today, but it wasn't a cycling paradise. It all changed with the campaign "Stop de Kindermoord" (literally translated as "Stop the Child Murder"), which began in 1972. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_in_the_Netherlands#His...

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nchagnet 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Considering I'm not Dutch, you may feel reassured there is no superiority feeling at play here.

I agree with another commenter that while flat, the Netherlands have their own hurdles (biking with a strong headwind on the banks of the IJ is not easy, even if flat), and I definitely agree that their city design is what makes this unique.

I lived in various parts of France growing up, and I can assure you there are flat cities there, yet biking in them felt very risky at best.